Easier Than My Life
by TisforTwee
Summary: Chapter 3 is up! What happens when Sonic and Knuckles swtich their appearences with eachother and make everyone believe that they are not what they seem KnuckRougeAmy SonicAmyRouge ShadAmy, Romance, Drama, and Humor :P Can't fit all 3 RR!
1. The Switch

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic, that would be Sonic Team o.o;**_

**Easier Than My Life**

_**By GeminiRyoko**_

**Chapter 1: The Switch**

"_You can make them seem like they are something they aren't…"_

He sat there gazing at the pale white clouds go by in the sky. While sighing in boredom he looked straight up envying the clouds that went by. They could freely move wherever they please, they didn't have any duties like protecting the Master Emerald from destruction, or even worse, into the hands of the evil Doctor Robotnick/Eggman. It really wouldn't be so important to the little red echidna, but it was his fate, his obsession, his first and only priority. A world without the Chaos Emeralds for Knuckles would be like a world without Sonic for Amy; although for Sonic, that wouldn't be such a bad thing if Amy wasn't always chasing him around. Knuckles sighed and looked down at the ground, kicking a rock off steps of the alter in boredom. Knuckles really wished something would happen so he could leave his position. Being the last of his tribe, he was the only one who could restore the Master Emerald if anything happened to it, so he really couldn't leave. He sighed.

Sonic sat in a random café in the middle of station square. He was exhausted from all of the long fierce battles with Eggman and needed a long awaited rest to recover from everything. He couldn't help but wonder when Eggman would return to steal the emeralds once again like he does ever single time. His objectives never change, its always emerald this emeralds that. Sonic wished he cared enough about the emeralds. If it wasn't for the emeralds, Sonic would be at peace somewhere and…

"Sonic!" Amy rushes into the café. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"What a surprise" Sonic said with great sarcasm.

If it wasn't for the master emeralds, His stalker, Amy, would not be bothering him all the time.

"This new movie is out and we have to see it!" Amy grabbed his arm.

Sonic didn't budge; he was too exhausted to move for his seat. He decided he would just sit there and drink his soda while Amy tried with all of her might to get him out of the café.

"Come on Sonic!"

"Amy don't you ever wonder that maybe I need to rest sometimes?"

Amy let go. "Sonic don't tell me you're still making the excuse that you're 'tired' from the last fight with Eggman!"

"Well I wouldn't be if it wasn't for us doing something every single day!"

"Oh, yeah that's great, blame everything on me!" Amy growled.

"Look Amy, I just want to rest for a little but, can you understand that?"

"Sonic… Remember how I saved you from the city jail?"

Sonic knocked his head off the table and kept it resting the. He turned his head toward Amy and sighed. That's how Amy always got Sonic, if it wasn't for her he would still be in jail right now, and he wouldn't have saved the world from Eggman and proved that he wasn't Shadow the Hedgehog. Then an idea sprouted in his mind, what about Shadow?

"Hey where is Shadow these days Amy?"

"He went up to space; he wanted to look up more things about Maria."

"Figures" Sonic sat up. "Alright, what movie is it.

"Yay Sonic, thank you so much!" She grabbed his arm and successfully ran out of the café with him trying to keep up with her fast running.

Naturally Sonic would be faster than Amy, with her trying to keep up with him, but right now he was exhausted, he needed to sleep. The movies would be the perfect place to sleep, as long as Amy didn't notice.

----------

The time must have been around noon because the sun was right above Knuckles. It was hard to sleep in broad daylight so he just sat there in complete boredom. There was absolutely nothing to do. Usually around this time a bat girl would come bug him for the Master Emerald, but Knuckles had said something to make her leave "for good" or so she said, and she hadn't returned since. He missed her company; it gave him something to do than just sit there. He knew very well that that bat, Rouge, was not REALLY after the Master Emerald. He knew very well that Rouge had a slight crush on him. Who would have thought that when Knuckles had finally gotten rid of her, he would miss her being there? He remembered the first time he really began to get feelings for her. It was when they were fighting over who would get the Master Emerald, when he saved her from falling, when she gave him the pieces she found of the Emerald. The echidna was officially bored with his life, and he had the rest of eternity to spend it… alone.

"So are you going to watch this emerald or are you going to look at the boring old sky all day!"

"Rouge?" Knuckles turned around in excitement. He then realized that he had shown her some attention. He didn't want to make it obvious he wanted her there.

"You act like you're excited to see me!"

"Actually I thought I finally got rid of you…" Knuckles smirked. "Guess I was wrong… What do you want?"

"I've come to take the Emerald Knuckles!"

"Go ahead and take it, it will give me something to do!"

"Hahahaha I'm taking it Knuckles… Wait, wait, wait, what did you say?"

"I said go ahead and take it, it will give me something to do then just sit here all day!"

"Now that's no fun!" Rouge sneered

"Well, are you going to take it or am I just going to sit here for the rest of my life?"

"You must be running a fever or something boy…" She said while walking around him and examining him from head to toe. "Or is it that…"

"That what…?" Knuckles turned around to her.

"That you enjoy my company and you want me to stay!"

"Ya got me…" He sat back forward and looked the opposite direction of her.

"You're so stubborn, why can't you just admit it?"

"Because it's not true Rouge…"

"Hmph, you're just a stubborn, obsessive echidna that has no life… Talk about not knowing how to have fun!"

"Why don't you just go chase after Shadow, you know, the one that you had a crush on before me!"

Rouge gasped and her face went from a sassy smirk to an evil death glare.

"What did you just say?"

"That's right Rouge, I said it, the only reason you come here is to see me!" Knuckles stood up. "Remember last time you said you were going to leave and see Shadow?"

"You remember that?"

There was a quick silence "I uh…"

"Oh I see, you're jealous that I said that… I see how it is" She laughed

"Whatever"

"Well whenever you decide what you're going to do you can meet me in the Mystic Ruins. Jeez if I knew you were such a bore when on duty I really would have gone after Shadow…"

"So the bat finally admits it!" He turned around to her to see nothing but blades of grass falling back to the ground. "If I leave here, it's possible that someone will steal the Master Emerald, and this whole island will sink into the ocean. No one will attempt to take the Emerald as long as I am here!"

Knuckles then remembered what it was like in the old days when he would travel through the forests of the island, his island. That was back when he was manipulated by the evil Dr. Eggman. He felt so stupid for trusting the evil scientist; of course Eggman wasn't there to protect the Emerald. Knuckles barely strayed from his duties of watching the precious magical Master Emerald, and he wasn't about to.

----------

Tails sat in his little hut/lab quietly; working on a new machine that he was obsessed with getting to work. The door opened making a loud wooden clack sound. It almost sounded as though the door had snapped off. Tails looked at the door that leads to the basement from the upper level of the hut.

"Hmmm, I better go check that out…"

He stood up and used his multiple tails to fly quickly to the door to the upper level, but before he could even touch the handle Sonic pushed through and sent them both to the bottom of the steps.

"Sonic?" Tails screamed not knowing whether to be surprised or angry at this point.

"Tails! Thank God, I'll help you fix the door later; you just have to help me hide!"

"Let me guess, you're hiding from the clutches of Amy… And I thought Eggman was bad" Tails brushed himself off and laughed. "Sonic the Hedgehog, defeated by the little Amy the Hedgehog."

"Tails, this is no time for joking, hide me!"

"Sonic let me go check to see if she's even coming."

Tails went up the steps, walking this time just in case of another speeding hedgehog coming his way, and looked out the front door. Outside was completely quiet, the birds were singing, and sun was shining, and no Amy was insight.

"Its alright Sonic, she's not here." Tails yelled while fixing his front door.

Tails went back to his lab to find Sonic slouched on his lab chair. His arms hung over the arm rests and his head was comfortably rested on the soft back of the chair.

"Tails, it won't be long until she finds me…"

"Well let her find you…" Tails shrugged.

"No, you don't understand, I need sleep."

"Haven't you been getting any?"

"Tails, I barely got any since the mishap with Shadow and the fight to save the world." Sonic whined.

"Well you can sleep here."

"Not if she finds me here, can you fly me somewhere so I can sleep?"

"Yeah sure, but where?" Tails walked over to an invention that was covered by a blanket.

"I don't quite know yet, somewhere that Amy won't be able to get to even if she knows where I'm at…"

"What about the Floating Island where Knuckles is at?" Tails stated as he looked under the light blue blanket.

Sonic sat up straight wide eyed. "That's, that's not a bad idea, not bad at all." He looked over at tails. "What's that you're looking at?"

"Oh it's just my new invention!"

"A new invention huh, what does it do?"

"Here let me show you!" Tails lifted up the blanket to reveal two round glass cases. One had a little rabbit in it, and the other had a squirrel. There was a grey chaos emerald held right in the middle connected by a few wires. The wires went from one case to the other and the rest of the wires went to tail's computer.

"Wow, that's a chaos emerald!"

"Yeah, I was researching on this kind of emerald and learned what this one can do. You see all the Emeralds have their own special power. One Emerald doe's one special thing and all the others do completely different things. All seven combined can make you into…"

"Super Sonic…" Sonic interrupted being very interested in what Tails had to say.

"Yes, Anyway I was researching on this one and…"

Tails pushed the large green button on the keyboard near his computer. There was a red light coming from both glass cases, and it sounded as though things were being moved around. The light faded and the squirrel and the rabbit were in opposite glass cases.

"Woah, Tails you made a teleporting machine…"

"No Sonic, this isn't a teleporting machine." Tails corrected him

"But they just teleported from one end to the other!" Sonic justified.

"They didn't teleport, they switched their outer appearance."

"Their outer appearance…?" One of Sonic's eye brows rose.

Tails instantly took the rabbit and hooked it up to his computer. He turned on the computer and brought up an animal identifier.

"This program will tell me what he is."

"_Subject classified as……… loading data……… a squirrel."_

Sonic blinked.

"You see what it is Sonic?"

"So let me get this straight… You can make things turn into something they're not?"

"No, you can make them seem like they are something they aren't!"

"So what is the point of this invention Tails?" Sonic questioned.

"I wanted to test this Emerald out. This Emerald happens to be the one that changes you into that yellow color when you turn into Super Sonic."

"So it's just research…"

"To be blunt, yes." Tails smiled.

"So can you change them back?"

"That's a very good question; they have to remain at this state for 72 hours. I already tested it on two different types of flowers. If I try to change them back right now their DNA will be even more messed up."

"Oh, but why 72 hours?" Sonic scratched his head.

"Because that's how long the body will take to get used to the DNA transfer."

"Oh, well that's really something Tails!" Sonic laughed.

There was then a knock on the door that lead to outside. Tails sat in his lab chair and brought up the double computer screen he just installed.

"Oh jeez Sonic, you're in for it"

"Its Amy isn't it?" Sonic whined.

"Well this would be a good time to fly you to the floating island!" Tails jumped in the air and grabbed the keys to the Tornado. "Let's go Sonic, get in the plane!"

The hatch opened to the planer and Tails jumped in while Sonic jumped on top. It was the typical position for the two when they paired up to fight Eggman and his massive army of destructive robots. The plane flew out from underground and into the sky, out and on its way to the Floating Island.

"No wait Tails! Sonic!" Amy screamed as she ran to the cliff.

-----------

"Who am I kidding, I like her company…" Knuckles sighed. "Yet she is very bothersome at times. I wish I could be free to roam around everywhere and not go as low as wanting an annoying, yet very attractive and fun bat bugging me all the time." He stood up.

In the distance there was a red plane flying in the evening sky toward the Floating Island. He squinted to try to figure out who it was. Half of him hoped it was someone who would fight him for the master Emerald. He ran over to a patch of dirt where he kept all of his valuables and dug out binoculars. Looking through it he saw a large red plane that said "The Tornado" on it and had a Picture of two fox tails on it.

"Miles Prower?" Knuckles whispered lowering the binoculars and squinting and quickly raising them again.

The plan came to the island and landed about ten feet away from Knuckles. Knuckles put his binoculars back in the hole and ran toward the two who had just arrived at his Floating Island.

"Don't tell me Eggman is on the loose again…" Knuckles whispered and sighed.

Tails calmly walked over to Knuckles, making Knuckles throw out the Eggman theory and come up with a new thought.

"Hiya Knuckles!" Tails waved.

"Are you here to take the Master Emerald? Because I won't let you have it!"

"Chill out Knuckles, Sonic just wants to stay here for a while, to get some rest."

"Some rest… Like you're life is so hard you need to come to the floating island to get some rest? How lame!" Knuckles laughed.

"Knuckles, I just want to stay here for a few nights so I can get some real sleep without Amy all over me."

"Why do you need rest again? You weren't the one who searched for the pieces of the Master Emerald. All you did was what you do best… Run."

"Hey if it wasn't for me everyone would be under the control of Eggman!" Sonic Screamed.

"You mean if it wasn't for me getting all of the pieces of the Master Emerald, hmph"

Tails folded his arms and glared at both of them.

"This surely wont do…" Tails shook his head.

"What was I thinking, of course this lazy echidna won't let me stay on his precious homeland. He's sooo greedy."

"Greedy? GREEDY? You call watching over the Master Emerald Easy and greedy?" Knuckles got in Sonics face.

"Yeah I am, you're lazy. I could Guard that Master Emerald with my eyes closed!"

Both Sonic and Knuckles were about the same height and both pretty much had the same amount of strength, if they were to fight it would be a fierce battle.

"Guys, save the fighting for some other time…"

"How can I deal with him Tails? I should have thought of something else. This lazy echidna won't let anyone here."

"Guarding the Master Emerald is ten times harder than running around all day!" Knuckles smirked.

"You want to make that a bet Knuckles?" Sonic got in his face, his hands turning into fists, ready to fight. "I bet you I can watch this Master Emerald for 72 hours!"

"Uh Sonic…" Tails tried to butt in.

"Yeah, and better yet I will even seem like I'm an echidna!"

Knuckles blinked. "And how do you think oyu're going to do that?" There was a pause and then histerical laughing. "What are you going to make a costume?"

"Sonic please don't do this!"

"No we're going to use tails machine! It can switch our appearances!"

"Oh I have to see this! When I see this, I'll make the bet!"

"Then come to Tail's lab with us!"

"Wait a second why do I need to come?" Knuckles paused.

"Well you want to see it don't you?" Sonic jumped onto The Tornado.

"Sonic, seriously I don't want to use it on you two!"

"What exactly are you talking about Tails?" Knuckles questioned.

"Tails get in; if he wants to find out he can come to your lab and find out!"

Tails shrugged and got into his masterpiece work, The Tornado, and flew off into the distance. Knuckles stood there completely confused. He was at a loss of what to do. Usually he doesn't let curiosity get to him, but this was very questionable. Knuckles had to leave the Emerald for a little bit and see what was going on. He went to the edge of the island and dove off to the Mystic Ruins where Tail's lab was located.

----------

"You know, this machine is not fully tested, and something might go wrong right?"

"We know…" Both Knuckles and Sonic said at the same time.

Tails had to explain the process to Knuckles, and they both wanted to be guinea pigs for this machine. Sonic and Knuckles never go back on bets, they are both just as stubborn as the other. Sonic was put in the glass case on the right, and Knuckles was put in on the left. Both of them had wires connect from head to toe. Monitors were placed beside both of their cases, which hooked up to Tail's computer to make sure nothing fishy happened to them or their DNA.

"Now I'm going to start the process, and remember even if you don't like it I can't change you back for another 72 hours, so you both will have to deal with your new appearance even if you despise it in every way shape and form…"

"A bet is a bet Tails, just start the process."

"I hope this doesn't go haywire…" Tails whispered, covered his eyes, and pressed the button to start.

In about 10 seconds the process was over and they were both still in the glass case. It looked as though they had teleported from one case to the other. Tails pushed the button to remove the wires and the glass cases opened. Sonic was the first to look at his reflection.

"Holy Tikal I'm Knuckles!"

"Hmmm very interesting, the only difference I see is that you have green eyes and I have Purple eyes." Knuckles smirked.

"Yes the resemblance is uncanny!" Tails ran over. "I don't think anyone would know the difference!"

"Oh well then Knuckles, you can let Amy chase after you for 4 days" Sonic laughed.

"That's fine with me!" Knuckles sat in the chair and put his hands behind his head. "You better not let anything happen to my island!"

"The voices will be a problem guys…" Tails sighed "We need to put some sort of voice changer somewhere."

"Well do you have one Tails?" Sonic asked.

"Luckilly I have 2" Tails giggled. "Let me put this on the top of your mouth"

"What if we swallow it?" Sonic asked as he opened his mouth to let Tails put it in.

"Don't worry you won't, they stick to the top of the mouth until you press this button on this watch that goes with them." Tails slide one into Sonic's mouth. "Knuckles say something." Tails pressed record on the watch.

"Something"

Tails pressed duplicate voice on the watch. "Now talk Sonic"

"What should I say?" Sonic gasped "Wow I sound like Knuckles!"

"Then this should be a piece of cake." Tails laughed.

----------

_**GeminiRyoko:** Will Sonic and Knuckles be able to handle each others life? Will the two women find out about their true identities? Will they be able to last 72 hours in each others bodies, or will they go insane before it all ends. What will happen to the Master Emerald? Find out this and more in the next chapter _


	2. Sonic the Echidna

_**Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 1**_

**Easier Than My Life**

_**By GeminiRyoko**_

**Chapter 2: Sonic the Echidna**

The blaze of the sun had faded and all that was left was the tormented darkness of the night sky. Sonic's long awaited sleep was calling for him; the Floating Island was the key to his sleep. Sonic gazed outside of the window, slowly stepping into the doorway to inhale the rich air around him. He looked at Knuckles, suddenly having the urge to feel bad for him. Poor Knuckles, he will have to experience a couple of sleepless nights of the reckless awakening by the little hedgehog named Amy. To Knuckles it may not be reckless, but to Sonic that was a kind way of putting it.

"Sonic you better not let anything happen to The Master Emerald, because if I find my island gone, I'll make you fish it out!" Knuckles declared.

"Don't worry about it Knuckles, just think of this as a vacation from your duties, and I'll think of it as just a relaxation period."

"Oh, you'll see how relaxing it is…" Knuckles smirked.

-----------

Sonic glided back to the Floating Island in which he would be calling "home", no "paradise" for the next 72 hours. He would finally get the rest he desired so much. He landed on the alter that held the Master Emerald and looked around with a rather satisfied smile.

"This is a piece of cake." He ran into the soft warm grass settling into and small area where he could slumber. No worries went through his mind, not one. There was only one problem he was alone in the dark and outside where anything could sneak attack him.

Sonic sat in the grass and looked up at the full moon. It was beautiful with an array of blues whites and yellows lighting up the sky. The ocean was roaring from the moon being so full and so close. The cool wind from the ocean breezed around him making him feel calm and warm like nothing could break him, nothing could ever get in his way. It must be the feeling of the Floating Island; this was truly paradise to Sonic. Desperately needing some time to sleep, he curled up in the grass and dozed off into a peaceful long awaited sleep…

---------

The sun was bright; bright enough that it was hard for Sonic to keep his eyes closed. He opened his large emerald eyes, rubbing them as he stood up.

"That was the pick me up I needed. I feel as though I can do anything!" Sonic yawned.

Sonic went to the edge of the floating island and looked down. The water seemed so close, it seemed as though it was close enough to touch. Sonic hesitated, his heart almost stopping at the sight of the vast blue. Could it be possible that the Floating Island was in the water? He leaned over the edge and reached out for the large abyss of water that was below him. He lifted his hand out of the cold icy water and realized the Floating Island was not at all floating in the sky, but floating in the water. He began to panic as he ran for the alter that held The Master Emerald. He fell to his knees gasping at the sight of the Emerald being gone, but who could have taken it?

"Did you have a nice rest?" A teenage female voice said from afar.

"Give me back The Master Emerald!" Sonic boomed desperately looking in every direction to figure out where the voice was coming from.

"Yoohoo look above you knuckle head!"

Sonic looked above him finding a pale white furred female bat flapping her wings above him swiftly. She was clasping onto a large green gem, The Master Emerald. Sonic froze, a look of fear plastered on his face. The only thing he could think of was what Knuckles had said to him the night before.

"_You better not let anything happen to The Master Emerald, because if I find my island gone, I'll make you fish it out!"_

His voice echoed through his mind putting Sonic in a state of panic.

"Rouge, why are you trying to take The Master Emerald?"

"The Master Emerald is the "Master Treasure"; which the greatest treasure of all time! Can you imagine what I could accomplish with something this great?"

"Don't you realize that if The Master Emerald isn't in place then The Floating Island, MY Island will sink into the ocean?" Sonic urged.

"Why don't you quit with the small talk and reclaim your precious Emerald before I use it for myself!" Rouge laughed arrogantly. "It's not my fault you over slept, you know I come everyday at noon to claim the greatest treasure of all time.

It was noon already? Sonic had really overslept. Knuckles had talked about what time he usually awakes from his slumber to watch over The Master Emerald, and it was far beyond that time. Rouge was swarming above him, ready to take off into the forest. Sonic was at a loss of what to do at this point, his solitary paradise had been annihilated by a bat thief. It wasn't until he thought of The Floating Island that he realized that he was Knuckles and he could fly.

"Well Rouge I'm going to reclaim my Master Emerald so you better look out!" Sonic jumped up to Rouge, grasping for the Emerald.

"Here Knuckles you can have it!"

Sonic grabbed the Emerald and a smug smile came upon Rouges face. She was up to something devious. There was no possible way she would give up such a magnificent prize. It was then she swarmed off into the distance yelling to Sonic.

"Did you really think I was going to let you have it? You're such a fool! Wake up!"

Sonic fell to the ground and jumped up in the air gliding to the nearest tree and latching onto it.

"What is it Knuckles, cant you keep up with me?"

"You're going to hit the ground when I get a hold of your sorry bat ass." Sonic Snickered.

"Hahaha, Catch me if you can!"

Sonic looked over into the trees and noticed that Rouge could only fly for a short period of time like Knuckles. He jumped off the tree and went straight for Rouge. To her surprise he rammed into her without stopping and pummeled her into the ground that was 30 feet below. They both hit the ground hard; The Master Emerald flew out of Rouge's hands into a small lake near by. Sonic got up right away and ran as fast as he could toward the lake. He was running faster than Knuckles could ever even think to run, Rouge was astonished.

"Jeez Rouge you entirely at fault for this!" Sonic declared harshly. "Now Knu… My Island will sink into the ocean!"

"Hey you can at least ask if I'm alright…" Rouge got up and brushed herself off. "What is with you? We play this game all the time…"

"We do? I mean well this time it has gone too far Rouge!"

"It's not my fault that you charged into me and threw both of us on the ground! Maybe I should have just flown far away with the Emerald if you're going to act like that!"

Sonic gave an unvoiced opinion by glaring at her.

"So are you going to go in for it? We both know that you're the one with the underwater breathing power!' She folded her arms and turned away.

"You're the one that dropped it, why don't you go in and get it?"

"Because it would be a waste of time for me to go get it when you can breathe underwater… Idiot!"

Sonic knew very well that Knuckles had that ability, but God knows if it worked for him. He may look like Knuckles but he surely didn't have the ability to breathe underwater. Sonic didn't even know how to swim let alone bring a gigantic Master Emerald to the surface.

"Well what are you waiting for? Go get it so we can put it back… SHEESH" Rouge snapped.

"I was just uh… Stretching…" He laughed timidly

"Well hurry it up, or I'll jus leave you here! Wait a second; I might as well just do this because this is YOUR fault!" She began to walk away.

Sonic took a deep breath of the air that he may not ever breath again.. Water was one of his biggest most brutal enemies. He tried to determine whether or not he could jump high enough to get him and The Master Emerald out, but the bottom and the Emerald were no where in sight. He took a deep breath and jumped into the crystalline abyss. He didn't know how long he could hold his breath for; he needed to find the Emerald quickly. In the corner of his eyes he saw tiny ledges leading up to the surface. As long as he could hold his breath and find the Emerald in time he would be able to make it.

He immediately saw a sparkling green thing in the soft sand of the lake and went after it. Coming closer to it, it was just a sparkling green Chao. He was running out of air, and fast, he wasn't going to last much longer underwater and he needed to surface. It was then he saw the Emerald, it was sinking into the sand below it. If Sonic went up for air now there was no guarantee that he would ever get it out.

"_You better not let anything happen to The Master Emerald, because if I find my island gone, I'll make you fish it out!"_

The words echoed through his mind. If he didn't get the Emerald out, Knuckles would surely kill him for losing the Island in the ocean. Sonic grasped onto the large green gem and began to pull it with all of his might. He had a feeling he was going to run out of air before he even got the Emerald out of the sand.

Sonic differed from Knuckles. Knuckles was known for brute strength and underwater abilities. Sonic on the other hand was known for his endurance and high speed. Endurance, if Sonic could endure running for long periods of time then he could make this, he had to make it out of the lake. He pulled the Emerald out with all of his strength; it seemed to be the hard part of lifting it because it was as lighter when holding it underwater. He tried to start running while clutching onto the huge Emerald with all of his might. The sand under him made a large dust cloud in front of him, making it almost impossible to see.

He could feel his lungs pleading for a breath of air, it felt as thought they were going to explode at any moment. He jumped on the first ledge, and then on the second, but when he hit the third the support below him snapped and he fell back down into the soft sand below him. At this time he knew he was going to die, and he blacked out…

------------

"_Sonic… Why don't you get up so everyone will stop worrying…"_

"Huh?"

"_You know you're not dead, just wake up…" _

"How do you know I'm Sonic?"

"_She is waiting…"_

"Come on Knuckles, wake up!"

Sonic opened his eyes just in time to find Rouge on top of him locking her lips on his. His eyes widened and he felt pressure moving toward his lungs. She looked at him; both locked into a long, yet passionate, stare. Rouge jumped up quickly, the snow white birds that were huddling around her flew off into the sky. She began to back away.

"Thanks Rouge…" Sonic sighed in relief trying to catch his own breath. His thick red fur that belonged to Knuckles was plastered to his back, soaked down to the last fur.

"So what happened in there, why couldn't you get the Emerald?" Rouge screeched. Better yet how did you drown when you could BREATHE underwater? You're acting really fishy today and I want to know what's going on!"

"Well I uh…" He didn't know what to say. Everything was completely quiet; it was like all the animals had vanished at the sound of Rouge's scream. The only sound was of the water brushing against the shore of the tiny lake. _"Should I tell her?" _Sonic hesitated.

"Well what is it?"

Sonic paused, he never really saw Rouge from that angle. She really was a gorgeous, fascinating bat, like she was easy to the eyes. Her white fur was silky and smooth. Her lips were soft and luscious, very comforting. She was also brilliant when it came to thinking up plans and getting away. She was a pleasure to look at. Sonic began to blush.

He always thought of her and an annoying bat thief that would always get in Knuckles' way when he was protecting The Master Emerald. From the looks of it, Rouge didn't seem to want to annoy him but get his attention. Could it be possible that Rouge wanted Knuckles, which she urged to be in his arms? Could it be that kissing Knuckles was one of her biggest fantasies of all time? Did she find it pleasurable to give him mouth the mouth? No, he couldn't tell her the truth…

"Well you see, I usually put on my… uh…_ what was it called…_ breathing ability when I wake up early in the morning." Sonic looked at her cautiously, she seemed to be looking at him very quizzically. "I forgot to activate my underwater breather… Because I woke up so late and you were already on the move…" Sonic closed his eyes hard afraid of what would happen.

"Well, I guess that was my fault, I should have seen that you were sleeping."

Sonic couldn't believe it, she bought every single word. He giggled suspiciously putting his hand behind his head and walking toward her.

"Well I guess I'll be going, I'll leave you alone… You must be really tired…" Rouge said softly.

Sonic watched as she walked off slowly, his heart was pounding at the sight of her. He didn't want her to leave, if anything he wanted to get to know her better.

"Wait Rouge!" Sonic screamed forgetting his duties to watch the Emerald.

"What is it? Did I forget something?"

"No…"

"Oh yeah, I got put The Master Emerald over by that tree." Rouge pointed to a near by oak tree. "So you can go put it back in its resting spot now."

'Oh… Thanks…"

Rouge blinked, she knew something was fishy about him yet she couldn't pin point it. She began back to him as he picked up The Master Emerald, unaware of her being behind him.

"Hey…" She poked him.

"What is it?" Sonic looked at her suspiciously.

"I knew there was something different about you… Why are your eyes green?"

Sonic gasped and began to stutter. "Well I uh… The…."

"Hmmm?" Rouge looked at him like she knew something was up.

"Well uh… You see it's from…" Sonic looked at The Master Emerald in his hands "The Master Emerald!" Sonic smiled nervously.

"What about it?" She questioned.

"You see sometimes my eyes turn green because of The Master Emerald!"

"How long does it stay like that?"

Sonic was relieved that she didn't ask why the emerald does that.

"Well let's see, it usually lasts up to 72 hours, it's because The Master Emerald is giving off a rare glow that only happens once in a blue moon…"

Sonic answered her even though she didn't laugh. He was always told that if you are lying keep the story short so you don't tell different stories every time someone asks. The longer the story, the more information you give out, the easier it is to be caught in the act.

"Well alright…" She looked at him suspiciously again and shrugged it off. "I guess I'll see you around… goodbye…" It was like she was waiting for something to happen, or at least get a thank you for saving his life.

"How about this Rouge… I place The Master Emerald back to the alter and I'll take some time off my duties so we can do something. It's the least I can do for you since you saved my life after I made a stupid mistake."

One of her eyebrows rose.

"Are you asking me on a date? Knuckie poo" She smirked.

Sonic then realized he was Knuckles and not Sonic, and he was acting way out of character. He would love to go out to the city with her take her around town, but not as Knuckles. He wanted to tell her that he was Sonic, but first off she wouldn't believe him, and if she did it would break her fragile little heart. It seemed that Knuckles was her soft spot, the sheath to her sword, and her biggest weakness. Who knows what she would do if she found out it was all a bet, it would be one huge joke to her.

"No, I've changed my mind; it's not worth my time." Sonic impersonated him to his best ability

"Oh, so that's how you're going to thank me… Well you're welcome!"

Mumbling to herself and cussing a bit she flew off angrily off into the distance. Dark clouds began covering the bright sky and a single raindrop fell of the echidna's red fur. It was about to rain heavily. Ironic that there was no cloud insight until Rouge got angry, it was like her emotions controlled the weather on The Floating Island… But that didn't seem right or possible.

Sonic frowned and let out a long sigh. The rain started to come down harder.

"She must really care for Knuckles…"

It was Knuckles that she liked not Sonic. Sonic only wished that he would have a chance with her, if only he was Sonic and not Knuckles right now he would be able to ask her on a date. Although, if he were his normal self and not Knuckles there might not have been any passion or feelings in the first place. He never felt this way before toward Rouge, if it wasn't for the switch this wouldn't have happened.

The rain poured down heavily and sonic sat under one large oak tree thinking about the events that happened in the past few hours. He had a few days to think of how he could get Rouge to go on a date with him as Knuckles without straying from his character. He wanted to get to know her, but how? How could he be convincing enough to ask her on a date?

He sighed again. He wished he was his normal self. He knew very well asking her would be a hell of a lot easier than trying to impersonate Knuckles.

----------

_GeminiRyoko: Will Sonic be able to ask Rouge out on a date? How will Knuckles handle his share of the bargain? Will Sonic ever tell Rouge who he really is, or will it all be a simple masquerade? What if Rouge and Amy find out about their true identities? What will happen? _


	3. Knuckles the Hedgehog

_**Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 1 **_

_I would like the thank everyone for all of the wonderful reviews, you guys really make me want to continue the stories I write . I would also like to apologize to my sister because she's been nothing but nice to me and I've act like a complete and total bitch to her, over reacting that she accidentally signed my own story under my name. She even gave me 2 really nice reviews when she didn't have to cries and huggles her This story is for you sis :3 (SakuraAngel623). 3 Anyway… Now that I got that out of my system and out in the open, on with the story! _

**Easier Than My Life**

_**By: GeminiRyoko**_

**Chapter 3: Knuckles the Hedgehog. **

The rain bounced off of the ledges of the tiny glass windows of Sonic's apartment. Knuckles laid there with his legs crossed and his hands behind his head, wondering what he could possibly accomplish after the rain stopped. There was a knock on the door, and a young feminine voice sounded out though the door.

"Sonic, are you home? You have a lot of explaining to do!" Amy rose said as she pounded her fists against the door.

What explaining?" Knuckles yelled out to her.

"Why did you leave me all alone without telling me where you were going?"

Knuckles hesitated; he really didn't know exactly what Sonic and Amy were doing before the switch. If he said something wrong the jig would be up, on the other hand he didn't know whether or not to just ignore the little pink fuzz ball. In the back of his mind all he could think of was Rouge, and he was almost positive that Sonic was thinking of Amy, or was he?

"You know what Amy, last night was a huge blur to me, I barely remember what happened." Knuckles progressed over to the door, reaching for the lock and the door handle at the same time.

"You know Sonic, what if I just left you alone and went to space with Shadow? Huh yeah then what would you do?"

Knuckles opened the door, at a loss of what to say or do.

"_What would Sonic do in a situation like this?" _Knuckles thought.

"Well, what if I went up with Shadow?"

"Amy… I don't know…" Knuckles sighed.

How ironic it was for Shadow, the opposite of Sonic the Hedgehog, to drop by at that very moment. Knuckles' only conclusion was he had come back from space and Amy had dragged him to Sonic's apartment to make the blue blur feel guilty, or it could have been that Amy dragged him all the way from space.

"You know Sonic; I really wouldn't mind having Amy around!" Shadow smirked in his own sinister little way. "I would be ten times more grateful to have her up in space with me then you just sitting down in your nice cozy apartment on you LAZY ass."

Knuckles was astonished, he couldn't believe someone with half of Sonic's skill would talk so low to him. The faker used roller blades for crying out loud, with all due respect its hard to roller blade but it is indeed harder to run and run constantly like Sonic. Knuckles himself was almost offended by Shadow's words.

"I doubt I would call you grateful…" Knuckles muttered. Knuckles paused; he didn't want to say anything that Sonic wouldn't say. Secretly Knuckles was just as afraid of Sonic as Sonic was afraid of him. Even though Knuckles had the strength, Sonic could out run him and sneak up on him with his quietness and speed.

"Well Sonic, what are you going to do?" Amy questioned.

"Amy, do you really want to go up into space with that loser? Remember he impersonated me?" Knuckles stated trying to think of what Sonic would say in a situation like this.

"Well he's sure nicer than you Sonic!" Amy cried.

"Looks like you lose Sonic!" Shadow snickered

"Uh the… only… one who will you is you!"

"Oh so you want to race for Amy's heart huh?"

"Oh this should be good!" Amy jumped up and down.

"No… Wait I didn't say that…"

"But you meant it didn't you?" Shadow walked around him.

To Knuckles Amy really didn't matter, but to Sonic that was another story. If Knuckles lost Amy, who knows what might happen. On the other hand if Amy went with Shadow Sonic might be able to get some rest, he might enjoy it. Although Amy really doesn't know what she could get herself into half the time, and might get hurt… Knuckles took a deep breath, for some reason the thought of Rouge came into his mind, and he couldn't figure out why. Could it be that he missed Rouge, that he actually had feelings for her?

Knuckles was also at a disadvantage in speed. He was in trouble; if Sonic were here instead of him then he would have taken Shadow down in a heartbeat… Or would he?

"So what are you going to do? Are you going to give up sweet little Amy because you can't beat a real hedgehog?"

"The only real hedgehog here is me!" Knuckles pushed him down.

"Oh my, what's with all of strength and pushing?" Shadow roared.

"I'll race you, three laps around Station Square!"

"Be ready to lose you wannabe hedgehog."

"Don't you mean you're the wannabe hedgehog?" Knuckles sneered.

It was true that Knuckles wasn't really a hedgehog, but he sure wasn't a "wannabe" either. He wasn't about to take all of this low talk especially from a low life experiment.

"You better not sink my Island Sonic…" Knuckles mumbled and ran off to the streets of Station Square.

----------

Knuckles stretched out his legs hoping that some miracle would come upon him to make him fast. Even though he was a decent runner, Knuckles knew very well he had no chance against Shadow's roller blades, only Sonic could possibly beat this fake hedgehog, Knuckles had no chance. If he lost this Amy would go with Shadow, and that would be awful for both Amy and Knuckles.

The rain was pouring down hard, making it hard to see the road in front of them. Knuckles had great eyes, so this weather would be to his advantage. Also, water never phased Knuckles, he loved the water. Both of the hedgehog's furs were plastered to the back of their head and all the way down their backs. The water was like bullets against their damp faces, and the rain looked like marbles bouncing off of the sidewalk. Amy held a little red flag, and at any moment she would signal the start of the race.

"Take your mark…" Amy howled through the loud bullets of water.

"You're going down…" Knuckles clenched his teeth and hands.

"Get set!"

"Hey that should be my line" Shadow snickered.

"Go!" Amy waved the flag and Shadow got a head start.

Knuckles was in trouble, not only was he going to look like a complete and total loser, he was going to ruin Sonic's reputation and lose Amy for him. This was such a dire idea to begin with and he shouldn't have agreed to it. At least if he would have no Sonic's reputation wouldn't have been ruined.

"Wait a second; I can see perfectly which gives me the advantage." Knuckles took a deep breath. "Its time to give it every thing I've got! Knuckles imagine that you are searching for the pieces of The Master Emerald."

Like a freight train going off the tracks and down a hill at a 90 degree angle Knuckles sped up to his maximum speed. Before the dark blur was off in the distance, but now he could see him clearly. He was using his skates like the fake hedgehog he was. For Shadow his skates automatically turned on whenever he began to reach his top speed. Instead of wearing out his legs he would use the skates for speed. This was quite a nifty idea that the government had made, very significant.

Knuckles jumped high in the air and glided right over him. To Shadows surprise Knuckles landed on both of his feet in front of him, turned around, and waved. Shadow growled and started to skim the slippery roads quicker than before. Knuckles tried with all of his might to keep the speed he was going, but Shadow kept progressing even faster. Knuckles didn't know how much longer he could hold this speed. Shadow would surely catch up if something wasn't done.

"Lap 2, go, go, go!" Amy screamed springing up and down in the rainy air.

Shadow was no lined up with Knuckles, they were head to head in a running combat. Knuckles struggled through the slippery streets of Station Square, barely being able to keep up with the Dark Blur. Knuckles began to decelerate as Shadow skidded down the road. The rain was heavy, making it hard to see for Shadow.

"Final lap guys keep going!" Amy yelped. _"Come on Sonic_"

In the distance Knuckles spotted a yellow car with low headlights. Anyone with any lower than Knuckle's vision would not be able to spot it. Knuckles jumped over to the side walk and tried to speed up. He looked to see where the car was and it was then that he noticed that Shadow couldn't see the car coming near.

"Shadow, WATCH OUT!" Knuckles shrieked.

Shadow looked behind him at Knuckles who had now stopped on the sidewalk, and then looked ahead of him laughing.

"What is the little Blue Blur tired…" Shadow looked up in time to see the car smash right into him. The rain was so heavy that the driver didn't even notice the black hedgehog crash into it. The car kept going and Shadow flew off the road and into a nearby building, traveling at high speed through the thick glass windows.

"Shadow!" Amy cried, running over to the fallen hedgehog.

The crash was right near the finish and Amy had seen everything that happened. She was in tears, although it was hard to tell she was crying just by looking at her since she was soaked with rain water.

"Amy, stay there it's not safe!" Knuckles pleaded.

But it was too late for Amy, the water had flooded high and she was heading straight for the sewers. She lost her balance and fell onto the hard damp pavement under her, hitting her head. She was now unconscious and heading for the endless sewers below.

"Amy!" Knuckles cried, flying toward the wet pinkness heading toward the sewer entrance.

He landed in the flooding water on the street grasping for Amy's hand. He grabbed her soft little hand and started to slip into the sewers himself. He looked drastically around him to se if there was anything to grab onto. It was hopeless, everything around him was either rushing through the murky rain water or was heading to the sewers. The water kept rising and it was now almost up to Knuckles' knees. He braced himself the best he could, holding onto Amy with the strength he had left.

"No I can't lose you, Sonic will have a fit!" Knuckles beseeched.

Knuckles began to lose his balance and started to rush to the sewers below. There was a pressure that came from his side, and like a heavenly cloud they both flew from the river of rain water and were thrown onto a safe part of the sidewalk. All Knuckles could see was a yellow ball of light, it was then that he realized that it was Shadow who saved them for the watery abyss below.

"Shadow!" Knuckles screamed, holding Amy close to him.

The rain still hadn't let down, in fact it seemed to be getting much worse. Shadow wasn't even in sight, and that was a bad sign for Knuckles. He had to search for him, he was the one who saved Him and Amy, and now he had to get him. Not a moment before Knuckles had decided to look for him, he came up behind him.

"What are you waiting for? We need to get to shelter and fast!" Shadow demanded.

"How did you do that?" Knuckles panted.

"I'll explain once Amy is safe!" Shadow answered.

----------

The rain continued at the same pace as before the two hedgehogs arrived at Shadow's apartment. Knuckles carried Amy all the way throughout the rain, making sure nothing would possibly happen to her. She was unconscious but breathing, yet she was shivering like she had just come from The Icecap. If Knuckles didn't act fast, she would become very ill. Knuckles laid her down in Shadow's bed, stripping her of her drenched dress and soggy boots, leaving her with only her matching pink bra and underwear.

She began to cough violently, turning her head to the side and letting out a weak moan.

"We have to cover her up!" Knuckles demanded.

"I'll go get some comforters and you can get a heat pack and a towel." Shadow glared "Oh yeah you should probably dry these clothes too, and find her some dry ones!"

Without hesitation, Knuckles rushed to the closet and grabbed a plug in heat pack. He looked over at the sleeping Amy who was only in lingerie. He walked over to her slowly, plugging in the heat pack next to her and examining her. She was very cute, very pink, and her fur was very soft. Her hands were small and gentle, waiting to be held by the person she loves, Sonic. Her arms and legs were so tiny, so adorable. Amy was truly a genuine girl, there weren't many like her, and not many had her ego. The only thing that was usually on her mind was getting Sonic to cherish her like she cherished him… Obsessed… She truly only wanted to be loved in return.

He stuck the hot heat pack under the thick sheet of the bed so she wouldn't get scorched by the heat coming from the pack. He ran to the dryer and threw her dress and boots in it, reaching for an already dry washcloth to dampen with lukewarm water and put over Amy's delicate forehead.

He pushed the hair away from her forehead, examining the beauty beyond her damp silky pink hair. She looked like a girl form of Sonic, which made Knuckles believe even more that they were meant for each other. Knuckles wasn't about to fall for Amy. For one thing she was too young for him, too innocent. He needed someone who would be interested in what he is obsessed with, The Master Emerald.

"_Rouge" _Knuckles thought "Hey wait a second, why am I thinking about that low life bat anyway?" Knuckles sighed; Sonic must have treated Amy like he had treated Rouge. Rouge was one of the things he missed dearly on The Floating Island… Angel Island. He wished he wouldn't have shooed her away so many times and acted as thought he wasn't interested at all. The truth was that he was also obsessed with her. He wanted to keep her safe; he wanted to make her feel safe. These things he had never accomplished with her, By no means would she feel safe around him. Little did Rouge know that Knuckles wasn't just watching over The Master Emerald, he was watching over her also.

The thought then came to his wondering mind on whether or not she talked to his imposter. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. There was then a weak cough coming from Amy, destroying Knuckles' time to himself and shooting him back to reality. He wiped her forehead with the damp, lukewarm washcloth. Shadow had returned from wherever he was and covered her with two thick blankets. Amy had stopped shivering and coughing, and let out a comfortable sigh.

"Phew we made it…" Knuckles sighed in relief.

"Yeah she'll be fine…"

"So Shadow, you never answered how you saved us both." Knuckles looked at him.

"Well you see, when I was made, my shoes were implanted with skates. They could multi task. Not only could they skim the ground easily, they can also skim the water easily."

"Oh I see, that's how you were skating through the water so well…"

"Hey you should be more grateful!" Shadow grumbled. "You know if it wasn't for Amy, I wouldn't have saved you. I would have made you come back to the surface yourself."

"What do you have a crush on Amy now?"

Shadow paused. "Now I never said that!" He stuttered with every letter.

"Its written all over your face, just admit it!" Knuckles urged.

"This isn't the time for that; we have to take care of Amy!"

Knuckles realized that he sounded exactly like Rouge. He was bugging Shadow for a truthful answer, just like Rouge always tried to do with him. Both Knuckles and Shadow were too stubborn and arrogant to admit when they were wrong or when they were lying about what they say. It really got Knuckles thinking; maybe Rouge and he were more similar than he thought. Although Rouge would never try to get information out of someone in such a serious arrogant way like Knuckles would.

"You know Sonic, you look different, and I can't quite pin point what's so different about you." Shadow muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is you look different, and you weren't running as fast as you usually do…"

"Well I'm sorry I don't have waterproof shoes like you do sheesh."

"Guys quit bickering… I need some help!" Amy stared at the surprised hedgehogs, both astonished to see that she was sitting up.

"How are you… awake?" They both asked.

"I've _been_ awake, I heard the whole thing!"

"Well Shadow since you have no interest in my, I'll be heading on home!" Amy stood up and realized that she didn't have her dress or her boots on. "Oh my God! You perverts!" She went to slap Knuckles and to Amy's surprise her caught her hand.

"No it's more like your clothes were wet, and if we didn't get them off you and dry them you would have probably caught pneumonia by now!" Knuckles scowled.

"Oh, well Sonic I want you to get my clothes and take me home!" Amy folded her arms and turned away from both of them.

"Oh and you're welcome!" Shadow bickered.

"Well Shadow, you upset her, if you would have answered my question, she would have stayed with you tonight!" Knuckles smiled smugly. "She'll be staying at my place instead."

"Does that mean…. Do you like me Sonic?" Amy's frown turned into an ear to ear smile.

"Well, I uh…" He looked at the excited Amy and thought of Sonic. If Knuckles said he didn't then she would stay with Shadow, and Sonic would frown upon that. On the other hand he would be going against his own mind, his own free will to love Rouge. He would be lying to Amy; he wasn't the Sonic that she thought he was. If Amy would find out about the switch, she would be crushed if she found out he was Knuckles and not Sonic.

"Well what is it Sonic?" Shadow laughed.

Knuckles glared at him, knowing exactly what he wanted; he wanted the little Amy to stay with him.

"Yes Shadow, a matter of fact I do!" Knuckles smirked.

"What?" Amy questioned with astonishment.

"What did I say something that surprises you?"

"No, I just never thought you would say you liked me…" Amy blushed, the rose coming out in her fair cheeks.

"Lets go home Amy."

Knuckles grabbed her hand, leaving both Shadow and Amy in a state of aw. Amy surely wasn't going to fight this; this was what she had dreamed of all of the time she knew Sonic. She wanted Sonic to take her hand willingly, without her being captured, and take her somewhere romantic. His apartment would have to do in this case. He opened the apartment door; the rain had let down a bit. Instead of heavy bullets rushing toward the earth below it was a heavy drizzle of fine rain dropping gently upon their fur. Amy looked at Knuckles from head to toe seeing him as the hedgehog she always loved, and for some reason she felt more attached to him than ever before. It was like he was a different hedgehog…

-----------

_GeminiRyoko: Oh man I hope that wasn't too boring. I swear the story will get better peepes . The humor will come along sometime in the next few chapters. The next chapter will be a combination of Sonic and Knuckles so stay tuned._

_Will the two girls ever find out about the switch, or will it remain a secret between Tails Sonic and Knuckles? What is Tails up to during all of this? Will Shadow fight to get Amy back? Does Knuckles really have feelings for Amy or is it just an act to impersonate Sonic. What about Sonic and Rouge, how is Sonic going to handle his time with Rouge. What will happen to Knuckles. Stay tuned to find out what happens!_


End file.
